In this new era ofStar Warstelevision, a lot of inspiration for the stories has come fromThe Clone Wars, the animated series created by George Lucas and the show where current scribe Dave Filoni began his journey in a galaxy far, far away. In the MandoVerse era of shows, for example, there are countless storylines and characters that hearken back to the animated series. The darksaber has played a huge role in all three seasons ofThe Mandalorian, and Bo-Katan Kryze was essentially a co-lead in season 3 after making the transition from animation to live action. Ahsoka Tano is another big example, as Rosario Dawson’s Jedi began her journey inThe Clone Warsbefore the character was moved to live action.
Another one of these characters is Cad Bane, a fan favorite bounty hunter who first appeared inThe Clone Wars beforeshowing up inThe Book of Boba Fett. He appeared to meet his end in the latter, receiving a stab wound to the chest from Temuera Morrison’s title character. Interestingly, a new book calledStar WarsTimelines, which details every major canon event in order, describes Cad Bane’s ending inThe Book of Boba Fettas “out of action.” This phrase is noticeably vague, especially when compared to the wording the book uses for other characters who died. This might mean that Cad Bane is alive after all, and could potentially appear again inThe Book of Boba Fettseason 2 or a similar series.
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Cad Bane made his first appearance in season one ofThe Clone Warsand went on to become a fan favorite due to his unique look, deep voice, and an evil-cowboy like personality. Inthe Holocron Heist arc,for example, Cad Bane is tasked with breaking into the Jedi Temple to steal a valuable holocron for his client. These episodes went on to become some of the most beloved of the series. Cad Bane became such a fan favorite that he went on to appear inThe Bad Batchin 2021 before making the jump to live action. His run-ins with various famous Jedi, such as Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka, only further confirmed Cad Bane’s status asone of the most famousand instantly recognizable villains in a galaxy far, far away.
His live action debut inThe Book Of Boba Fettwasn’t announced beforehand, nor were there many rumors about his appearance. When Cad Bane showed up in “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger,” it was a major surprise to fans and audiences. Arguably an even bigger shock, Cad Bane seemingly died two episodes later, when Boba Fett appeared to deliver a fatal blow in the final battle on the streets of Tatooine. Some fans became upset, saying that Cad Bane is too interesting of a villain to dispose of so easily. However, everything might not be as straightforward as it seems.
BecauseStar Wars Timelinesreferring to Cad Baneas being “out of action,”this appears to hint at a possible return at some point in the future. The MandoVerse shows have often been quick to bring characters back from the dead (in addition to reversing storylines and character arcs in general). It’s safe to say that Cad Bane might not be done with live action appearances just yet.
In addition to the ambiguous wording regarding his supposed death, it’s interesting to note that Cad Bane’s injury was arguably just as bad as, if not less severe than, Marshall Cobb Vanth’s. The latter was shot straight in the chest by Bane in Chapter 6 — and, as demonstrated by the post credits scene for the show, Cobb Vanth is still alive. With this in mind, there’s no reason why Cad Bane couldn’t have the same healing as Timothy Olyphant’s character.This would be in linewith what happened to Fennec Shand as well, as she was left for dead in the desert of Tatooine before being saved by Boba Fett.
The recent MandoVerse seasons haven’t been particularly well-received by fans or critics.The Book of Boba Fettand season 3 ofThe Mandalorianboth suffered from weak lead character arcs and strange narrative decisions that brought down the rest of the show. Boba Fett didn’t have much of an arc in his own show, nor did Din Djarin in season 3 of his series. However, bringing back a fan favorite villain likeCad Bane could be justthe thing to convince fans and get audiences back on board once again. The recent addition of Thrawn into live action created a great deal of excitement not only for these new shows, but Dave Filoni’s upcoming movie as well. Cad Bane could do the same for the MandoVerse.
